


home is where the heart is

by Patolemus



Series: the words on your skin [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxious Hinata Shouyou, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Child Abuse, Hinata Shouyou is Scared, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, I love Bokuhina friendship and i think it's underrated to here I am to provide it, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Supportive Bokuto Koutarou, Supportive Iwaizumi Hajime, Supportive Oikawa Family, Supportive Oikawa Tooru, but Oikawa and the rest of his support circle are there to help, but just mentioned nothing graphic, poor baby has anxiety, this is the moment when iwa falls in love with natsu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:54:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29863233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patolemus/pseuds/Patolemus
Summary: Oikawa finally convinces Shouyou about leaving his father for good. Now, they have to deal with the consequences.
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou & Hinata Shouyou, Hinata Natsu & Hinata Shouyou, Hinata Shouyou & Iwaizumi Hajime, Hinata Shouyou & Karasuno Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou & Oikawa Tooru, Hinata Shouyou & Oikawa Tooru's Family, Hinata Shouyou/Oikawa Tooru
Series: the words on your skin [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013439
Kudos: 48





	home is where the heart is

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to the third instal of this series! First of all, I’m sorry this took so long, I didn’t have access to internet for the last week of January and the majority of February, so I just started this last week.
> 
> I want to warn everyone, that I have absolutely no idea of how the jurisdiction system in Japan works. I did my research, but I may have gotten some things wrong since I’m basing a lot of this on movies and series I’ve watched so please don’t hate me if this is inaccurate in any sense! Any feedback is good feedback, so if any of you know more about it, please let me know so I don’t make the same mistake again.
> 
> Also, I know as a fandom we kind of agree that Natsu and Shouyou have an age gap of about six years, but for the purpose of this story, I’ll make that gap a bit bigger.
> 
> That being said, enjoy!

It starts when Oikawa finally convinces him to call the police. It takes a couple of months, and a lot of well placed arguments, but eventually Shouyou relents. His boyfriend is right, even if Shouyou is scared shitless of what could happen. He has to plan, make sure his drunk of a father will be out of the house, and… and tell his mother of his plan. 

Shouyou finds the perfect time on a Thursday evening. It’s only by chance that he even finds out his father will be out until late, since he’s spending most of his time outside of school at Oikawa’s nowadays, but he does, and Shouyou decides to take his chance, not willing to wait for another one that may not come. So, after a string of encouraging texts from his soulmate, Shouyuo takes a deep breath and goes to find his mother.

She’s in the kitchen, cutting vegetables for what Shouyou presumes will be that night’s dinner. Her eyes are on the carrots she’s chopping, but her mind is somewhere else, where it usually has been ever since that last thread finally snapped inside of her and turned her into a shell of the strong and lively woman Shouyou remembers her to be when he was younger.

“Hey, ‘Kaa-san, can we talk for a minute?” he asks, and her mother blinks twice slowly, as if processing his words, before she turns to look at him with a small, mirthless smile.

“Of course, Shouyou. What is it?” she’s still chopping carrots, and Shouyou makes sure to keep an eye on her hands to make sure she doesn’t cut herself by accident. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time, and Shouyou needs to have her focusing on his words.

“Do you remember Tooru?” he asks cautiously, and his mother’s eyes lit with recognition as she nods.

“Your soulmate, right dear?” he nods, and his mother sighs in delight as her expression is light like it always is when soulmates come up in conversations. “I’m so happy you found him, Shouyou. I remember how I felt when I found your father, I was so happy… but what brought this on? Are you going to bring him home soon? You know I’ve been dying to meet him.”

“I— yeah, I want you to meet him too. But that’s not what I wanted to tell you,” Shouyou swallows, steeling his nerves for what he’s going to say next. “We’ve been talking, and… and we came to the agreement that we should call the cops ‘Kaa-san.”

Hinata Naoko blinks again, finally letting go of the kitchen she was using to fully look at her son. Shouyou looks back, and finds that her eyes aren’t as dead as they usually are.

“The cops? What for?” she asks with her head cocked to the side in the perfect representation of obliviousness. Shouyou sighs.

“It’s… actually it’s about Otou-san,” his mother’s frame go stiff, and her arms fall by her sides. “‘Kaa-san, he— what he’s doing is not okay, and I can’t let him keep hurting you and Natsu. We’ll be okay, we’ll be out of his grasp now, we—”

The slaps doesn’t hurt as much as his heart does when he stares at the cold fury in his mother’s eyes.

“How dare you,” her words sound like poison, face contorted in rage. “HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT HIM, YOU UNGRATEFUL CHILD!” she screeches, and Shouyou is too stunned to step back when she closes the gap between them and starts hitting him in the head over and over again, and he curls into himself to try and protect himself. “YOUR FATHER HAS GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING, HAS SHOWN US LOVE AND AFFECTION, AND YOU’RE PAYING HIM LIKE THAT?!”

Love? Affection? Shouyou faintly wonders how he could not notice how far gone his mother was until now. How couldn’t he notice that she had somehow twisted his father’s slurred insults, the heavy hits, the harsh treatment, into something like _love_. Does she not remember all those times when he hit her because dinner wasn’t ready when he came home? When she said something he didn’t like? Did she forget the nights Shouyuo had to make sure his father didn’t try to go inside Natsu’s room while drunk, scared of what he could do to her after he found the fucker trying to unbutton his pants in front of her bed one night?

He finally frees himself from her grasp, taking distance so she doesn’t try to hit him again. 

“‘Kaa-san, that’s not—”

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! YOUR FATHER IS A GOOD MAN, A GOOD HUSBAND, A GOOD FATHER!” her eyes look half crazed, and Shouyou wonders if she’s trying to convince herself of her own words as much as she’s trying to convince him. “Was it that Tooru?! Has he been corrupting you with this nonsense?!”

“W-What?” his voice sounds faint even to him. Of all the reactions from his mother, this is the last one he expected. “‘Kaa-san that’s not it! This isn’t normal, and you know it!” he tries looking for something different than rage in his mother’s expression, but he finds nothing.

“Then leave. If you hate your father so much, then you can grab your things and leave with that soulmate of yours. I don’t want to see your face again,” voice dripping venom, she turns around, grabbing the knife she was using and starting cutting carrots again, as if she hadn’t just told him to leave the house, leave her.

Shouyou stares at her for a moment, agape, and then turns around and goes to his room. Most of his things are at Oikawa’s house already, but he grabs some last things, clothes and pictures and things important to him. Then he goes to Natsu’s room and packs as many clothes as he can, grabbing some of her toys and her favourite blanket. 

His mother doesn’t spare a look for him as he leaves through the front door.

An hour later, he finds himself in front of Oikawa’s house, holding Natsu’s hand with his own as he rings the doorbell with his free one. His sister doesn’t know what’s going on, since Shouyou just pulled her out of class early. He has done this a couple of times before, and all the teachers know him since he tries to drop her off and pick her up as much as he can. 

Now that he’s calmed down some, he’s thinking maybe he was a bit too hasty. 

But he didn’t have any other choice. If his mother isn’t willing to see that her husband is abusive, then Shouyou has to make sure his sister is safe. He can take what their father throws at him, he’s used to it. Hell, he could even fight his mother if it’s for Natsu’s sake. But his little sister doesn’t understand, how could she? 

Shouyou won’t let her fall into the pit like he did. She will not grow up thinking that soulmates are bad, that family is meant to hurt, and pain is _normal_. He won’t let that happen.

Oikawa opens the door, and he quickly takes in the situation before his eyes before smiling and letting them in. Shouyou immediately knows it’s for Natsu’s sake, because he questions Shouyou with his eyes as they come in. 

_Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?_

Shouyou falls a little bit more in love with him right there.

As he and his sister take out their shoes, Shouyou introduces the two of them.

“Natsu, this is my soulmate, Oikawa Tooru,” he says, and his sister eyes the setter with curious eyes. “Tooru, this is Natsu, my little sister.”

“It’s really nice to meet you, Natsu-chan. Shou-chan talks a lot about you,” Oikawa smiles gently at her, and Natsu tilts her head to the side, silently appraising him for a moment.

“Do you hurt Shouyou-nii like ‘Tou-san hurts ‘Kaa-san then?” Shouyou’s breath hitches at her innocent question, and his heart squeezes painfully. 

Oikawa inhales sharply before kneeling in front of her, so they are the same height. He takes her hands into his, and looks at her straight in the eye.

“No, Natsu. I would never hurt Shouyou. You don’t hurt the people you love, after all, and I love your brother a lot. I promise,” for others it may look silly, him being an eighteen year old man making promises to a little girl, but Shouyou’s eyes cloud with tears as he sees the scene in front of him. 

Natsu looks at Oikawa for another moment, and then she smiles, throwing herself at Oikawa for a hug, who catches her right on time.

“Thank you,” Shouyou hears her say, just as a tear falls down his cheek. 

* * *

Shouyou explains once Natsu has been effectively distracted by Oikawa’s nephew, Takeru, whom Oikawa is babysitting until his sister gets home. His soulmate leads him to the kitchen, far enough for the two kids to hear them while still close enough so they can keep an eye on them.

Once Oikawa has given him a cup of tea, which is now nesting in his hands, Shouyou tells him. He tells him how he talked to his mother, how she went batshit crazy the moment he mentioned his father, and how she told him to leave. 

“Then I just grabbed as many of Natsu’s things as I could and went to pick her up early before she could get home,” he finishes, combing a hand through his messy orange hair. “What am I going to do now? I never thought she would react like this— that she would defend him. And she wont let me keep Natsu, she’s going to take her back, and then she’ll be alone with him when he’s drunk, and ‘Kaa-san will do _nothing_ and—” Oikawa puts a hand on his shoulder, Shouyou looks at him. 

“It will be okay Shouyuo. We’ll talk with my parents, and we’ll figure something out, alright? She won’t take Natsu back, I promise,” Oikawa takes the mug from his hand before hugging him tight, and Shouyou all but melts against the embrace, inhaling Oikawa’s sent, something he has come to relate with safety. 

“You really think so?” he feels small against Oikawa, who’s carding his hands against his hair in a soothing manner, but he can’t get himself to care. Oikawa makes him feel safe, he makes him feel loved. Shouyou can bear feeling small for a little bit.

“I do. We’ll get through this, Shouyou.”

Swarmed by the warmth of comfort, Shouyou believes it too. 

* * *

Shouyou starts getting messages from his mother that very same night. At first she asks where he’s at. When he doesn’t answer, she starts asking for Natsu, guessing he had taken her. He stays silent, and his phone’s screen lights up when his mother starts to call him. He doesn’t answer them, and Oikawa convinces him to turn his phone off for the rest of the night when the texts start getting aggressive. He thanks his sister isn’t there to see them. She’s upstairs in Takeru’s room, where she’ll be sleeping until this is all settled. When the boy found out she was staying the night, he insisted they had a sleepover, and when he saw Natsu’s face Shouyou couldn’t say no.

Now, he’s sitting with Oikawa and his parents as he explains what happened. They are both aware of Shouyou’s home situation to a certain degree, since he’s been staying with them more often than not these past few months. 

“Oh, Shouyou-kun, I’m so sorry,” Oikawa’s mother, Rumi, says as she takes his hand into hers. “You can both stay here, you know that. And don’t be scared, we’ll fix this, alright?”

“Thank you,” Shouyou tries to keep his tears at bay with little success. “I’m really worried about Natsu. I can take care of myself, but she… she’s too young, she doesn’t understand. What do I do if my mother takes her while she’s at school? I can’t let her go back there, she doesn’t deserve it.”

“She won’t, and neither will you,” says Oikawa Takumi with a gentle smile, contrasting with a pair of calculative eyes just like Oikawa’s. “We need to report this to the police so she doesn’t get to take you back, and then we can take legal action. With all the evidence we can give, it shouldn’t be difficult to win.”

Shouyou lets those words sink in. Legal action. That wouldn’t just condemn his father, but his mother too. The court could very well declare her actions - or lack of thereof - as negligence, never mind it that she has been abused too. Is he willing to go that far? Is he willing to place his mother in that position?

He decides that for Natsu’s safety, he’s willing to do anything. 

“Alright. What do I do?” 

They call the police that very same night, and Shouyou’s father is immediately arrested. The police only needed some photo evidence Oikawa had been keeping for this exact same moment for the initial arrest, and once the statements are delivered, he won’t see the outside of the prison for many years.

The real problem is Shouyou’s mother. The moment she hears of the arrest she goes to the precinct and, in between sobs and yells and complaints about how they are _dragging her soulmate away like he’s some sort of criminal, you monsters_ , she demands that they let her see Natsu - not Shouyou, who may as well be a stranger for her. Oikawa is the only one that sees him cry that night when she only asks for her daughter. 

The police officers take one look at her and state that she isn’t in the right mind to take either of her children home, and Takumi, who had been there with Shouyou and Oikawa to report Shouyou’s father in the first place, and to make sure the case was handed to the Child Protective Services, takes the opportunity to ask for the siblings’ custody, claiming negligence and inability to take care of her children.

Predictably, she blows up a fuse. She goes red in fury, those eyes that Shouyou had seen dead and sunken so many times before filling with rage as she screams at Oikawa’s father. Shouyou and Oikawa are removed from the room once it becomes clear that she’s not willing to calm down, but he still shuts his eyes closed as he hears her.

He doesn’t recognize her. His mother has never yelled, never raised a finger against anyone, in years. Not his father, not Natsu, and not even Shouyou. This is the first time - _no it’s not, she looked at him the same way hours ago_ \- he sees her without the mask of happiness she puts on all the time, or the defeated acceptance she expresses every time her husband looses his cool.

This is not her mother. The person yelling in the next room is someone different, a woman who snapped for the last time when someone threatened to break the fragile web of lies she had been telling to herself ever since her soulmate first raised his hand against her cheek.

Shouyou feels guilty. But he won’t let her take Natsu, not if there is a minimum possibility that she could ever react like this on his little sister.

Oikawa eventually leads him out of the precinct, taking him home - because it’s home, wherever Oikawa is, Shouyou is home - so he doesn’t have to hear any more yelling. 

His soulmate also takes his time to text Sawamura so he knows Shouyou won’t come to practice the next day, or at school at all, and he tucks him in despite his protests that he wants to stay up until Takumi gets back with some news. 

“You are exhausted, Shou-chan, and you need to rest,” he says with a frown at Shouyou’s stubbornness.

“I can’t sleep, not when I know they are talking about Natsu’s future right now,” he looks up to meet Oikawa’s eyes. “She’s just a kid Tooru. I’ve been taking care of her since she was born, you know? ‘Kaa-san, she— she wasn’t really there, most of the time, hasn’t been for a long time, so I had to make sure she had eaten, get her a bath, I was the one that checked her during the night when she woke up or had a nightmare. Everyone at her school knows me because I pick her up more often than ‘Kaa-san does. I can’t let her take Natsu away now, not when she has never taken care of her in the first place.”

“And she won’t. I promise she won’t take her, and she won’t take you either.”

Shouyou scoffs. “She doesn’t care about me. You heard her a the station, she was only asking for Natsu’s custody, not mine.”

Oikawa looks at him for a moment, eyes softening before pulling him into a hug. Shouyou doesn’t know when the tears start falling, but soon he’s shaking in Oikawa’s arms, sobbs muffled by his shirt.

“I’m sure your mother loves you, Shouyou. You are the best son anyone could ever ask for, and one of the strongest persons I know,” Oikawa lovingly kisses the top of his head. “And I promise that you and Natsu have a family here. We’ll make sure of that.”

In the end, Shouyou falls into a restless sleep, plagued with nightmares of Natsu being taken away, of his father getting out of the charges, of having to go back _backbackhedoesn’twanttogobackpleasenonono_ —

He wakes up at four thirty seven in the morning, back pressed against Oikawa’s chest. He doesn’t go back to sleep. 

* * *

The Oikawas’ lawyer is a nice woman who asks the right questions and doesn’t pressure him. Her name is Hanami Ouda, and she gives Natsu candy every time they talk. Shouyou finds her calming. She is the one that helps Oikawa’s parents get temporal custody of Natsu and himself until the trial has settled, using some of the laws on soulmates to give them priority over some other possible foster families.

The day after the arrest is made, she asks him to write a statement about all the abuse he remembers, and to be as specific as he can. Given that he is a minor, he legally cannot be questioned directly at the jury, but Hanami can give them the statement to be read out loud. Natsu is too young for a statement, something Shouyou is glad for. He doesn’t want that pressure on her shoulders.

Oikawa convinces him to stay home for the first couple of says, if only so he can take care of Natsu. Shouyou doesn’t feel comfortable letting her go to school just yet, so he calls her elementary school to inform them of her absence, and ask if they could send any homework to him online so she doesn’t stay behind. Oikawa stays too, and Iwaizumi stops by in the evening to give him the homework he missed, and check on the Hinata siblings. To say he falls in love with Natsu is an understatement, and he ends up playing with her while Shouyou gets started on his statement. Oikawa is by his side doing his own work, squeezing his non dominand hand reassuringly every time he sees Shouyou’s writing hand starting to shake, and rubbing his back soothingly. It’s a welcome presence, and Shouyou basks in it.

The court date isn’t until two more weeks, which gives them enough time to prepare and get statements ready. Oikawa offers to act as a witness, since he is of legal age, and once Iwaizumi catches wind of it, he does too. Shouyou’s eyes water when they do so, and he rubs his eyes in an attempt to make them go away.

Shouyou has to get back to school eventually, especially with their training camp in Tokyo approaching. Only Coach Ukai, Tekeda-sensei, and Sawamura know why he has been absent - put in much simpler terms and _maybe_ downplayed a bit so he doesn’t worry them too much - and he called Ukai-sensei to let him know he won’t be able to stop by his house for a couple fo days. Shouyou isn’t sure he wants to let the others know, if he’s being honest. He knows they mean well, but they can get too abrasive at times, and even come off as insensitive. He’ll tell them, just… not yet.

That morning, he kisses Natsu’s forehead before going to school. His sister is still asleep, since she won’t be going to school until all matters have settled, and he doesn’t have the heart to wake her up even though she asked him the night before. 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi are waiting for him at the front door, where they say their goodbyes - Oikawa adding a small kiss in the cheek - before parting ways. Shouyou will have to take the train until he gets around to getting his bike from hom— his mother’s house, and he’s not feeling a lot like it at the moment, so that could very well be a few more days. No matter, he can get there in time if he makes a run for it after getting off the train.

Half an hour later, he’s panting in front of the gym as he apologises for his tardiness - even though he got there on time, Shouyou tends to be there early - as he puts on his volleyball shoes. 

Sawamura makes a beeline for him the moment he spots his orange hair, and in silent tones, he asks if he’s okay.

“I’m fine, Daichi-san. Tooru just forced me to stay home for a couple of days,” he says as he puts on a smile, and Sawamura visually relaxes. Even if he doesn’t personally like the setter, he’s glad that someone is making sure his kohai is getting the rest he needs. 

“Alright, that’s good to know. Tell me if you need anything, alright?” Shouyou nods, and that’s the end of it. Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei ask a couple of questions of their own, but they quickly let him join the others on their warm ups.

Shouyou expertly avoids the questions of what happened to him, claiming some family problems that he’s already taking care of. It’s true enough that he doesn’t feel guilty for lying, and it keeps them off his back for the moment.

He hits a wall once he starts his classes. His mind is distracted with volleyball during practice, so he doesn’t get a chance to think about it, but when faced with a math problem, his brain immediately goes back to the statement he hasn’t finished, to Natsu who knows too little and at the same time too much, to his mother’s irate expression, to the slap that stung but at the same time didn’t, to his already cracked heart breaking just a little bit more.

He still has to tell Oikawa’s parents about his training camp.

Gods, he’s a mess. 

* * *

Surprisingly, it’s Oikawa himself who is most reluctant to let him go. His parents had agreed without much trouble, and had even signed the forms when Shouyou asked them to, but Oikawa doesn’t seem to want to let him out of his sight if he can help it. Shouyou finds it endearing, in a way, but he puts his foot down. 

“Life goes on, Tooru, and I won’t wait for me. It never has,” he says to his pouting boyfriend, who looks at him from the other side of the room, sitting in the bed. “I promise I’ll call you and Natsu. That way you can know I’m doing alright.” 

“... Okay. But I want a call every day. And you’ll tell me if something happens,” Oikawa says as Shouyou gets closer to the bed, closer to him. 

“Deal,” the redhead sits on Oikawa’s lap, snuggling closer to him. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

Oikawa frowned, puzzled, and looked at him from hooded eyelids. 

“I know I am, but what brought this on?”

“Nothing. Just wanted to say it.”

Three days later, he’s saying his goodbyes to his sister, making her promise she’ll behave and that she won’t go out of the house alone. Call him paranoid, but Shouyou won’t take his chances when it comes to Natsu. Oikawa already offered to take her and Takeru to the recreative center on his less busy days, and Iwaizumi, who is totally smitten for her, agreed to bake some cookies with her. That, plus Oikawa’s sister Izumi and their parents, Shouyou feels a little more at ease with going to Tokyo for a week. At least this time he knows she’ll be looked after instead of hoping his mother protects her from the worst, like he had to do during Golden Week, or when he stayed late to practice. It’s been the main reason why he was comfortable going to Ukai-sensei’s these past weeks, and it has helped him in both clearing his head and getting a better handle at his ball play.

He has packed comfortable clothes, his volleyball shoes and kneepads, his toiletries and essentials, and a folder with his uncomplete statement. He and Hanami talked, and he has to have it done by the time he comes back so they can review it before court day, so Shouyou will have to find the time to work on it. 

He meets his team in front of the school. He’s one of the last to get there - he blames Oikawa, who wouldn’t let go of him and made him miss the train, so he had to wait for the next one - and he has to bear Kageyama’s insults for his tardiness. He isn’t even _that_ late, that jerk.

They are driving during nighttime, so Coach Ukai tells them to sleep as much as they can because the next day will be full of matches and he expects them to have energy for all of them. And Shouyou tries, oh he does, but he’s grown accustomed to feeling Oikawa next to him, soothing him from his nightmares and the scared thoughts about _what could happen_ , and in the end he only goes in and out of consciousness for hours, until he stops trying to sleep altogether when the sun starts rising, tired of waking up startled, heart beating fast as he remembers his father, the _painpainpainithurtssomuchpleasestopi’llbegooddon’thurtmeanymorei’msorryididn’tmeanto_ —

He distracts himself by looking past Nishinoya’s sleeping form and out the window. This isn’t the first time he’s seen Tokyo, but considering last time he was trying to keep his stomach in one piece as Saeko drove like the devil himself, he feels justified to feel awed at the many communication towers, and the tall buildings looming in the distance.

A week of only volleyball. This is what he needs to clear his head a little before going back to the mess his life is at the moment.

Kenma, Kuroo, and Lev are there when they get off the bus, and Shouyou immediately tackles his friend on a hug when he spots him playing with his PSP. Kenma makes a weird cat sound, and Shouyou laughs. 

It’s nice to be around people who have absolutely no idea whats going on.

After they all change into their gym clothes, his team goes to the gym they’ll be using for the matches. It’s hot outside, so all the doors are open with a net to prevent the balls from flying out of the gym, and even before going in, Shouyou notices they are the last ones there. He expected it, since they are the only ones coming from another prefecture, even if they did ride all night.

As he stretches before getting on the court, Shouyou examins the gym. It’s a tendency he has developed over the years, looking around him, making sure there aren’t any flying bottles coming his way, or that his father’s hands are far from his neck. Even now that he isn’t with him anymore, habits are hard to break, and he isn’t sure he’ll break this one any time soon.

He takes note of the players, how they interact with each other. This isn’t the first time he’s seen them, they had that short weekend training camp before, but he still hasn’t figured out their dynamics, except maybe from Nekoma, who he has played more than a couple of times before, and knows them better, plus all he knows about the team from what Kenma tells him.

When he steps on the court, he looks at Kageyama. They haven’t played in the same side of the net ever since they had that fight, and he doesn’t know what to expect. Oikawa mentioned talking to him in passing when he was with Takeru at the recreative center a few weeks ago, and Coach Ukai said he has been practicing, but in what, Shouyou has no idea.

He’s excited nonetheless.

Their first opponent is Fukurodani, who Shouyou objectively thinks is the strongest team out of all the ones gathered. He knows Fukurodani is a powerhouse, and they usually go to Nationals, nevermind that their Ace is one of the top five in the country. Just the thought of playing against such an amazing team has him vibrating in expectance. 

They lose, horribly so. Their movements aren’t smooth, they fail to perform the new moves they’ve been trying, and it’s an overall fail. 

But Kageyama’s toss was different. He’s trying.

Shouyou’s cheeks hurt as he smiles.

Playing volleyball feels like all the problems in the world bleed away, like there isn’t a case against his father for abuse, like his mother isn’t fighting for his sister’s custody when she was never present before, like he’s not scared out of his mind that even then she’ll succeed and take Natsu away, where he won’t be able to protect her. Playing volleyball feels safe, and he doesn’t want it to end. 

Unfortunately, he has to go back to reality, and he has to finish that statement. 

That’s why he’s in the boy’s bathroom at one in the morning, curled up in one of the corners as he tries to keep his hand steady enough to write coherent kanji. The document already has more than sixteen pages, but Shouyou still has a lot more to say, and the most information he gives, the longer his father will be away.

“ _...I was twelve when he tried to choke me for the first time. I was just back from school, and ‘Kaa-san was cooking dinner. Natsu wasn’t in the room, but Otou-san was in the living room._

_I was going to go to my room to do my homework, when Otou-san called me. He was drunk, and there were empty beer bottles around. I didn’t want to come closer, I was scared of him, so I tried to ignore him. Then, as I was getting closer to the stairs, he grabbed me by the neck and pushed me against the wall. It hurt, it hurt so much when he started squeezing as he told me to obey when he tells me to do something, and I couldn’t say anything, and he kept squeezing harder and harder, yelling at me to answer when being talked to. He kept pressing until I couldn’t breathe anymore, and my vision was getting blurry. My lungs burned, it hurt so much, I really thought he was going to kill me that time…”_

Shouyou lets out a trembling breath as his hands shakes, hoovering over the paper. He remembers this one particular memory very clearly, since it’s been one of the only times when he’s truly thought that was it, that he was going to die that day. His other hand subconsciously goes to his neck, where bruises had been painted for weeks after the incident. He had to use a scarf to hide them, and he thanked that it was winter at the time, so no one suspected anything.

He takes a deep stuttered breath, trying to calm down his heartbeat before starting writing again, when the bathroom door opens. Shouyou’s head immediately snaps up, coming face to face with a sleepy looking Bokuto Koutarou. His hair isn’t in its usual horned spikes, and is instead on a half ponytail, probably to keep the strands from messing with his sight. 

Bokuto notices him after a second, and his head cocks to the side in confusion.

“Hinata? Whatcha doing here so late?” he asks as he comes closer to him, and Shouyou shuffles awkwardly. How does he explain this without telling him he’s writing a statement for the jury to lock up his father for intrafamiliar abuse?

“I-I’m just finishing up something I have to deliver when I return to Miyagi,” he lies through his teeth, and his heart drops when he hearts his own stuttering. He’s not nervous, perse, since it’s only Bokuto, and he trusts him. It’s just the thought of someone knowing, the pitying looks, the coddling. He doesn’t want it. He’s not different from anyone else, and he has endured without the special treatment all his life, so he won’t be starting now.

Bokuto just looks at him for a moment, as if deciding if Shouyou is telling the truth or not, before closing the gap between them and sitting beside him in the tile floor.

“Alright. Mind if I stay with you while you finish? You don’t have to tell me what it’s about, but you look like you could use some company,” he smiles, different from his boisterous ones, the ones that come hand in hand with rambunctious laughter. Maybe it’s the mix of his hair down, the softer appearance, and the reassuring smile, but Shouyou finds himself nodding.

They stay up two more hours, where Bokuto squeezes Shouyou’s shoulder reassuringly when his breath hitches, and combs a hand through his red strands of hair when the tears threaten to spill, just like Oikawa does. True to his word, he doesn’t ask any questions, doesn’t read what Shouyou’s writing, and stays until he is done. 

“Thank you,” Shouyou whispers once they are out of the bathroom, and Bokuto gives him another smile.

“Anytime, Hinata. And if you ever want to talk about it, you have my number, alright?” Shouyou nods, and Bokuto ruffles his hair one last time. “Come on, lets go to sleep. We both have to wake up early tomorrow.”

As they part ways, Shouyou feels his chest a little warmer. 

* * *

Rumi takes one look at him before telling him to stay home for the day. Shouyou doesn’t even get to protest, since looking at the mirror he does look more than a little pale, and there are big bags under his eyes. His stomach churns even though he hasn’t eaten in almost sixteen hours, and all in all, he is a nervous mess, to say the least.

Instead of going to school, Shouyou offers to drop Takeru off at his school before he and Natsu go back to the house and wait for the verdict. He also texts Sawamura to let him know he won’t be going to practice that day. 

While he’s at it, he sees Bokuto’s contact, and he remembers his words that night at the training camp. Maybe he won’t be able to help, he should be in class right now either way, but maybe getting it off his chest would help?

He quickly texts him, trying to tell him everything of importance, like the statement he found him writing in the bathroom, without going on a tangent, like he usually does. 

He gets and answer not even ten minutes later.

 _Bokuto-senpai: WHAT?!_ _  
_ _Bokuto-senpai: R U OK?_

 _Shouyou: im fine senpai_ _  
_ _Shouyou: just nervous_

 _Bokuto-senpai: well at least itll be over soon right?_ _  
_ _Bokuto-senpai: u said your soulmate and his family are at court rn_

 _Shouyou: yea im at home with natsu_ _  
_ _Shouyou: thats my little sister_ _  
_ _Shouyou: we are waiting for them to come back_

After that, Bokuto doesn’t say anything. Shouyou figures he must be busy with schoolwork. Which is why he is surprised to see his phone light up with a videocall request from Bokuto not even five minutes later. After a moment of hesitation, he answers the call. In the other side of the phone, there’s not only Bokuto, like he expected, but also Akaashi, Kuroo and Kenma. To say Shouyou is surprised is an understatement, though he’s not particularly mad.

“Hey?” he says, not really knowing what to say. What is one supposed to do in this situations?

“Sorry Hinata, I was with them when you texted, and Akaashi got worried because I yelled, so he read over my shoulder, and then Kuroo and Kenma found out and—”

“It’s okay, senpai, I’m just surprised,” and he’s not lying. Even if this isn’t the ideal situation, he’s glad they know so he doesn’t have to tell them. They have become important people in Shouyou’s life, and he wants them to know. 

“Shouyou,” his eyes fly to Kenma’s face in the screen. He looks calm, but there’s an intense look in his eyes. “It’ll be okay.”

“I— yeah. I hope so,” he tries to give them his best smile. 

“Why don’t you tell us what you’ve been doing today?” Akaashi asks with a comforting smile, most likely picking up on his nervousness, and Shouyou gladly takes the opportunity to distract himself as he tells them about how he dropped off his soulmate’s nephew earlier, and how he and Natsu were playing together until she went to take a nap.

“Hey, shouldn't you all be in class or something?” he asks after a while, when he remembers this is actually a school day, and that they don’t all go to the same school, so there’s no way they could have met there.

“Oh, our schools are closed for today because the power got cut off for some check ups, so we decided to hang out,” Kuroo answers before shooting him a concerned look, like he always does when he’s entering into mother hen mode. “Hey, Hinata. Are you alright, like really?”

“I’m… managing. I’m really nervous, but there’s nothing else I can do. I already wrote my statement, our lawyer told me the case applies for the Child’s Welfare Act and the arguments are pretty solid, so I can only wait,” Shouyou shrugs, and the topic is changed fast after that.

Between the four of them, they manage to effectively distract Shouyou most of the time, and Natsu takes care of the rest once she gets up. Shouyou feels like a proud parent as he introduces her to his friends, and he smiles a little bit wider when they all coo at her. Natsu thrives under the spotlight she finds herself at, effectively grabbing their attention, specially Bokuto’s for the remaining of the videocall.

The call is still ongoing when the front door opens, and Shouyou snaps back into focus as the other side of the screen quiets. They want to know how it all went just as much as he does.

“Shou-chan?” he hears from the doorstep. It’s Oikawa.

Natsu runs to greet him, like she usually does. She has become really close to him, ever since she realised Oikawa isn’t going to hurt him.

“In the living room!” he calls out, playing with his fingers as he tries to calm his heartbeat. Soon, his boyfriend steps inside the room, holding Natsu in his arms, and Shouyou looks at him. 

Oikawa doesn’t look sad, or angry, but what really convinces him is the light in his eyes. Ever since this whole madness started, his eyes had been clouded, thinking of every single possibility and how to make the most of it, what to do in case they lose the case, how to keep Shouoyu and Natsu away from their parents. Even if he never told him, Shouyou knows Oikawa is the only person who probably worried just as much about this than he did, if not more.

And now, his eyes are clear.

“Did we…” Shouyou already knows the answer before Oikawa says it.

“We won. Your father will be locked up for twenty seven years with no option for early release on good behavior, and your mother has a restriction order of five hundred meters for the both of you. My parents are finishing up with the paperwork, but I came here to let you know. You both will be staying here for good, Shou-chan,” Shouyou’s eyes fill with tears before he can stop them, and he launches himself at his soulmate, sandwiching Natsu between them as the other side of the call goes berserk in whoops of joy and congratulations.

When he pulls apart he grabs Natsu and holds her, feeling relief flooding him as he thinks that she’ll be safe, _they_ will be safe, it’s over now. 

“I love you so much,” he whispers in her ear, hiding his face in the crook of her neck as she hugs him back.

“I love you too Nii-chan. You’re the best.” 

* * *

Adjusting to their new routine is easy. 

Takeru and Natsu share a room permanently now, and both kids are having a blast with it. Shouyou just hopes that won’t change once they grow older. He and Oikawa’s parents - his _foster parents_ , he has foster parents who behave like a real family now - arrange for Natsu to change schools so she and Takeru can walk together. It makes Shouyou feel better about letting her walk on her own, even with the restriction order. He needs to start letting go of her, let her be more independent, even if he would like to keep her safe forever. 

When he comes back to school - on his bike again, since his mother had to let them come collect the rest of their things as part of their agreement - he finally tells his team what’s been going on with him all these months. They are shocked to say the least, and there are a lot of hugs, cheers and a celebration for the trial’s success the next day. Things slowly start going back to how they were before, and Shouyou can finally put his all now that he doesn’t have the case dragging him down.

Oikawa introduces him to his other friends, at last. He knows Matsukawa and Hanamaki, of course, he’s played against them before, and between Oikawa and Iwaizumi he feels like he’s known them for years, but this time they aren’t on different sides of the net, and he finds they are amazing company. They also make sure his boyfriend’s ego stays in check, so that’s a bonus.

Living with the Oikawas is different and at the same time it’s familiar. It’s like nothing Shouyou has ever experienced before. He feels loved, he feels cared for, he feels _safe_. He feels home.

**Author's Note:**

> And there it is! I hope you liked this, I’ve been thinking about this since I started writing the first part of the series, so I’m glad I finally wrote it. I’m sorry if there wasn’t a lot of Oihina in here, but this was more about Shouyou finally taking a step into a healthy life. As you can see, he focuses most of his attention on Natsu, who is like his daughter just as much as she is his sister. Most of his drive comes because of her, which is something I think is important to address, since it speaks of general behaviour. We’ll be seeing more of that in the next installs.
> 
> Anyways, in case you were wondering, this takes part in between parts one and two of this series, just so you can adjust your mental timeline.
> 
> I’ll be back with the fourth instal… at some point. I’m starting uni in a week, so I don’t know how long it’ll take me to finish the next part. It’ll be done though, I promise.
> 
> Stay safe! Kudos!  
> Pato


End file.
